Prince George City Hall file image. (Image Credit: CKPGtoday.ca Staff)

By Adam Berls

Public Safety Petition

City requesting signatures in petition to the federal Minister of Justice

Jan 27, 2026 | 11:00 AM

PRINCE GEORGE — The City of Prince George is looking to submit a petition to the federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Sean Fraser, to advocate for “solutions to several public safety issues municipalities across the country are facing.”

According to a news release from the City, the petition was published today (Jan. 27) and is accepting signatures for the next 60 days. A minimum of 500 signatures is needed before it may be presented by a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons.

“We are calling on all residents and business owners in Prince George to take five minutes to sign the petition. The City is committed to continuing our advocacy for improved public safety and this petition is an excellent way for residents to get involved and show the federal government that we must collaborate on solutions,” said Mayor Simon Yu.

The petition calls upon the federal government to: 

• Amend the Criminal Code of Canada to strengthen bail requirements for prolific and non-violent offenders to include provisions for repeat offences to lead to: 
  • automatic detention, 
  • release to be dependent on reverse onus, and/or 
  • demonstration of the Principle of Respect for the Law 
• Appoint more judges and prosecutors to end court backlogs
• Provide funding and resources for Crown Counsel to increase capacity and decrease delays in preparing and bringing cases to court in a timely manner 
• Provide funding and resources to provincial correctional centres and support services to increase capacity for detention of individuals, as well as providing rehabilitation and release planning services 

Public Art

New mural for the Conference and Civic Centre

5m ago

Voices & Culture Summit is more than a conference its creates a place of belonging in the North

2h ago

Expo

4th annual Northern RV & Outdoor Expo underway at CN Centre

2h ago

“Thank you to MP Todd Doherty for authorizing the petition and allowing the City to gather signatures. We are grateful for our ongoing relationships with our federal and provincial counterparts, and the support we have received to improve public safety in our community”, said Mayor Yu.

The petition is available now on the House of Commons website until March 27 at 12:25 p.m. PST. 

Local news. Delivered. Free. Subscribe to our daily news wrap and get our top local stories delivered to your inbox every evening.

—

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com